NJ ISRA Project

SESI was retained in an ongoing New Jersey Site Remediation Program (SRP) case to assist with completing the remediation and closing a case that had been in the program for more than 30 years. The case began in the late 1980s when a New Jersey manufacturer ceased operations at its Passaic, NJ facility and triggered the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA) requirements (then the Environmental Cleanup Responsibility Act, or ECRA).  

Since the case initiation, multiple consultants have been involved and extensive investigations have been conducted at the Property. Thirty-four areas of concern (AOCs) were identified. Over the years, despite the ongoing investigations, preparation and submittal of several reports, and extensive communications with the NJDEP, no closure had been obtained.  Due to a lack of progress and / or resolution of the outstanding AOCs, the case was brought into the NJDEP Direct Oversight Program.  When SESI became involved as the environmental consultant and the case Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP), all the AOCs were still technically open, and three AOCs still required further investigation and remediation.  

Once retained, the SESI team addressed several issues that the NJDEP had identified as deficiencies, completed the Site Wide Remedial Investigation Report and implemented remedial action at two of the more complex AOCs. For one AOC impacted with hydraulic oil discharges, SESI conducted bench scale study for surfactant flushing and structural analysis for possible excavation of the EPH-impacted soils. The surfactant flushing study did not result in satisfactory extraction of the hydraulic oils, and the hydraulic oil discharges are within an old building with structural challenges. As a result, SESI selected and implemented an in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) program for that AOC. The ISCO solution was injected through galley installed in the vadose zone to treat EPH impacted soils in the vadose zone.  

Another AOC was impacted with #6 fuel oil from a 76,000-gallon underground storage tank (UST).  The remedial action consisted of removal of the UST and the impacted soils.  The soils were disposed off-site.  

At both AOCs, post-remediation sampling confirmed that the remediation of soil had been completed.  

SESI is continuing to work with the case team and regulators to complete the remediation of groundwater at the Site while submitting the necessary reports to satisfy the requirements of the Direct Oversight program.  It is expected that the final reports will be submitted, and a Response Action Outcome issued during 2023.